Book signature feed



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BOOK S IGNATURE FEED Filed Sept. 28, 1931 2- Sheets-Sheeo l y 1932- w. 1. THOMPSON 3,

BOOK SIGNATURE FEED Filed Sept. 28, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 frequently happens when there are only,

Patented July 26, 1932 V'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WALTER IRVING THOMPSON, OF EAST HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE SMYTII MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT BOOK SIGNATURE FEED Application filed September 28, 1931. Serial No. 665,541.

This invention relates to means forfeeding signatures to a book stitching machlne, and is an improvement on the means for that purpose set forth in United States Letters Patent No. 1,774,170, August 26, 1930;

Signatures must be so located with rela tion to the stitching mechanism that when stitched and trimmed the top lines of the printing of the several pages will be the same i 1 distance from the tops of the pages. To ensure this uniformity the signatures are headed at the tops or folded edges.

In the machine of the prior patent the signatures are openedand placed on a saddle, and pushed therefrom onto an arm which carries them to the stitching mechanism. The pusher engages the folded top edges of the signatures and pushes them until the bottom edges of the sheets engage a yielding tall stop on the arm. As the pusher is retracted the tail stop pushes the signatures back until the top edges or head ends register against a header, which evens the signatures at the top as the arm swings to carry the signatures to stitching position. 7

Signatures are not of uniform length from top to bottom and when one is inserted in another, if even at the top when placed on the saddle, at the bottom the leaves of one will extend beyond the leaves of the other.

The machines run fast and if there are two or more signatures of different lengths, when they are pushed from the saddle and the longer engages the tail stop there is a tendency for the shorter due to inertia to continue its movement toward the tail stop, and then when the tail stop moves forward it pushes the longer signature against the header, but not the shorter signature. Under these circumstances the header does not accurately head the tops of the signatures as the arm swings to stitching position. It also single signatures of very thin paper being r fed that as the pusher pushes the signature in, the lower edges of the sheets crumple against the tail stop and then the tail stop Willnot push the signatures properly back against the'header. I

The object of the present invention is to in a simple manner obviate the difficulties above u mentioned, that is, to so control the feed of the signatures that, regardless of variation in lengths, or the weight of the paper, the signatures will be surely and accurately. headed before they reach the stitching mechanism.

In accomplishing this object the signatures are gripped at the heads by a spring jaw on the pusher When they are pushed from the saddle, in such manner that all the signatures whether there is one, or two or more, will be positively held from over running and be drawn back as the pusher is retracted so that the heads of all will abut against the header and enable the header to accurately locate all the signatures on the arm, regardless of the various lengths of the sheets, or thickness of the paper.

Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings a perspective View of the jaw end of a pusher which is constructed according to this invention.

In thedrawings two signatures, 1 and 2, are illustrated, the outer being shorter than the inner which is known as an insert. Fig. 1 the signatures are shown on the saddle ready to be engaged by the pusher 3 and in Fig. 2 on the arm and being drawn back to the header by the pusher.

The pusher is a thin blade that is reciprocated through a space at the apex of the angu larly related plates 4 and 5 of thesaddle. The pusher is pivoted by a stud 6 to a block '7 that is adjustably connected by a spring pressed pin 8 with a slide 9. The slide is fitted upon a'bar 10 that extends longitudinally between the saddle plates, and is reciprocated on the bar by a link 11 which is actuated by mechanism similar to that set forth in the patent referred to A stud 12 extends from the side of the pusher into a groove 13 formed lengthwise in a plate 14 that is reciprocated by the bell crank lever 15. In the plate 14. is a cam groove 16 in which is a roll 17 mounted on a fiXed plate 18. The cam groove is so shaped that when the plate 14 is moved forward it will be raised, and when moved backward it will be lowered. As the pusher is connected with the plate by the stud 12 in the groove 13 the pusher is swung up as the plate 14 moves forward and down as the plate moves back. When the pusher is at its starting position it is lifted by the forward and upward movement of the plate 14 so that its jaws project above the saddle, and it continues in this relation for the entire distance of its inward movement and for a short distance of its outward movement and then it swings down below the top of the saddle.

The forward end of the pusher has jaws 19 and 20 and fastened to the jaw 19 and extending over its front end and bending down against the jaw 20 is a spring finger 21, the end 22 of which extends loosely into a slot 23 at the inner end of the opening between the aws. I

The head of the arm is formed of two angularly related plates 24 and 25 which when the signatures are fed onto them are in the same plane as the plates of the saddle. The arm is swung for carrying the signatures to the stitching means by mechanism similar to that in the patent referred to.

The tail stop 26 is attached to the end of a spring plunger 27 that is yieldingly mounted on a slide 28 which is adjustably fastened to the inner arm plate 25 by a pin 29 designed to enter sockets 30. The heading gauge 31 is fastened to a slide 82 that is movable on the inner arm plate. This heading gauge is moved a slight distance toward the tail stop while the arm is swinging up, in the manner and by the means specified in the prior patent.

An operative feeding signatures with in serts, that is, signatures with one or more signatures inserted, opens them and with the heads even places them superposed on the saddle. As the machine operates, the pusher with its jaws in upper position moves inward and the jaws engage the heads of the signatures, the spring finger grasping and retaining the evened heads in the jaws during the entire inward movement of the pusher. The

inward movement of the pusher continues to advance the signatures from the saddle onto the arm toward the tail stop slightly beyond stitching position and until the lower edges of the signature engage the yielding tail stop. As the pusher is retracted the tail stop returns to normal position'following the lower edges of the signatures, and the pusher which is grasping the heads of the signatures draws those heads against the heading gauge which interrupts the movement of the signatures and causes them to be withdrawn from the pusher. The pusher then returns to its outer position. Immediately after the pusher jaws have released the signatures they are lowered below the top of the saddle so as not to interfere with the placing of other signatures on the saddle during the withdrawal of the pusher. At the outward limit the pusher rises into position to engage the heads of the signatures laid on the saddle. As the pusher is withdrawn the arm swings inward and carries the signatures placed thereon to stitching position.

During the upward movement of the arm the heading gauge contacts with the even heads of the signatures and moves them on the arm a slight distance inward so that when they reach stitching position they will be accurately related to the stitching mechanism.

l/Vith the means shown when there are inserts of difierent lengths the signatures are accurately held by the gripping jaws of the pusher in its inward and at the beginning of its outward movementso that they will not overrun when pushed in and the heads will all be drawn back uniformly against the heading gauge. If the signatures are of very thin paper and the lower edges fold or crumple against the tail stop when they are pushed in, they being drawn back by the gripping jaws of the pusher, will have their heads so engaged with the heading gauge that they will be carried accurately to the stitching mechanism.

The invention claimed is:

1. Mechanism for feeding signatures into a book stitching machine which comprises a saddle for receiving opened signatures, an arm for receiving signatures from the saddle and transferring them to the stitching mechanism, a tail stop and a heading gauge mounted on said arm, and a' reciprocatory and oscillatory pusher having jaws shaped to grasp the signatures on the saddle by their heads and push them inward onto the arm until the bottom edges of the signatures engage the tail stop and then draw the signatures outward by their heads until the signature heads contact with the heading gauge.

'2. Mechanism for feeding signatures into a book stitching machine which comprises a saddle for receiving opened signatures, an arm for receiving signatures from the saddle and transferring them to the stitching mechanism, a tail stop and a heading gauge mounted on said arm, and a reciprocatory and oscillatory pusher having a yielding mouth designed to grasp the signatures on the saddle by their heads and push them inward onto the arm until the bottom edges of the signatures engage the tail stop and then draw the signatures outward by their heads until the signature heads contact with the heading gauge. I 3. Mechanism for feeding signatures into a book stitching machine which comprises a saddle for receiving opened signatures, an

arm for receiving signatures from the saddle and transferring them to the stitching mechanism, a tail stop and a heading gauge mountv saddle for receiving opened signatures, an

arm for receiving signatures from the saddle and transferring them to the stitching mechanism, a tail stop and a heading gauge mounted on said arm, and a reciprocatory pusher having means desgined to grasp the signatures on the saddle by their heads and push them inward onto the arm until the bottom edges of the signatures engage the tail stop and then draw the signatures outward by their heads until the signature heads c0n-- tact with the heading gauge.

5. Mechanism for feeding signatures into a book stitching machine which comprises a saddle for receiving the signatures, an arm designed to carry the signatures to the stitching means, a reciprocatory pusher having jaws provided with a yielding tooth designed to grasp the signatures on the saddle by their heads and push them inward onto the arm and then draw the signatures on the arm by their heads a slight distance outward.

6. A reciprocatory pusher for feeding signatures into a book stitching machine which has jaws fixed with relation to each other and provided with a yielding tooth which extends into the jaws and is designed to grasp the signatures by their heads and pushthem inward and then draw the signatures outward by their heads.

7. A reciprocatory pusher for feeding signatures into a book stitching machine which comprises jaws and a spring finger that is fastened to and extends over the end of one jaw and into the space between the jaws, which finger is designed to yield and permit the heads of the signatures to pass into the jaws and then to, with the jaw to which it is not attached, grasp the heads of the signatures and draw them outward.

WALTERIRVING THOMPSON. V 

